Friday, August 28, 2009

I'm having a pleasant day.

I've been waking up at 8am lately. Summer mornings are so lovely. I'm back in Japan & haven't stopped gloating over my perfect summer in Oregon, but I'll give you a break for now.

I think Julie and I have similar tastes so I always check out her recommendations. Today I read her mention of Fela Kuti and I'd never heard of him before, so I YouTubed him and fell in love. I spent my morning on the balcony listening to his music and eating corn out of a carton. Heaven.


Then I got a craving for coffee jelly, so I threw on a fabulous crochet dress I brought back from the States and strolled to one of the many old coffee shops in dear Nishiogikubo.


Coffee jelly is just what it sounds like, gelatinized coffee. It's really popular in Japan. I was skeptical at first but it's so delicious. It's served chilled and topped with ice cream or whipped cream. The best place to have coffee jelly is at an old kissaten, a Japanese coffeehouse. Traditional kissaten are decorated with a lot of heavy wood and knick-knacks. They always play old jazz and are popular with old people (and me -- I think they're super hip and will have a big revival sometime). There's no fancy espresso menu, just coffee, tea, toast, cake, and Japanese comfort-foods like omelette rice, spaghetti, and curry. Sitting alone by the window in a kissaten, eating my coffee jelly among all the adorable ancient old ladies having tea, makes me feel like a little kid with an old soul. Haha.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Portland pt. II


Just rollin' up and down night highway 99.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Found my harmonica!

I love swimming in the Siletz River.

I love the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

I love sitting on the south jetty in the evening.

No Smoking

While I was away, Oregon's total ban on indoor smoking kicked in. That means no smoking in bars. Before we went out the other night, we stocked up on candy cigarettes. 75 cents a box and no cancer or smelly clothes. Invest now!

Partying in Lincoln County has been priceless. Check out this fisherman's bar. An older skipper invited us for coffee and free fish on his boat. We were supposed to be there at 11am the next morning but I took us to the wrong dock. Shame! No sea stories and free tuna for us.